


Between Midnight and 3 AM

by conboimckinky



Category: Gorillaz
Genre: Alcohol Mentions, I just feel a lot of things about 2dace, It's 3 am so this probably makes little sense, M/M, Take this, smoking mentions, so please
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-29
Updated: 2018-08-29
Packaged: 2019-07-04 00:27:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15830022
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/conboimckinky/pseuds/conboimckinky
Summary: The first time Ace gets past the tipsy mark with his new band mates is suspiciously eventful. He calls it a win.Drunk Ace - 1Sober Ace - 0





	Between Midnight and 3 AM

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this at 3 am. It makes no sense, but it did at the time.  
> Comments and kudos and the like are always appreciated, my friends!!! <3

2D was well aware that Ace was clingy.  
But drunk Ace?  
Well, he was something else entirely.  
"Dance!"  
"No!"  
"Stuuuuu~ Stu-Pot, please?"  
Ace had never called him that before. Stu had had a few drinks, but nowhere near as many as the bassist. The nickname almost made him frown. His eyebrows furrowed and his lips closed in a pout almost automatically.  
That was hilarious to Ace, apparently.  
"Aw! That lil' pout is so cute, Stu-Pot," he teased, slurring, placing his glasses next to Stu's drink and holding out his hand. "N said you're a better danca' than me, ya gotta prove it, mister singer man," Ace concluded, poking 2D's nose and laughing.  
2D glanced over to Noodle and caught her eye. She was dancing on the flashing grid in the middle of the room, surrounded by others, and looked so...free. It was no secret that the two of them loved to dance. Noodle had always been better than he, but it was a good way to loosen up. Plus, he felt untouchable with the pop music so loud his bones vibrated.  
The club was one they visited often. One of Noodle's favourites. Russel also enjoyed it, but preferred to take a chair up to whoever was DJ-ing and chat music.  
Both Noodle and Russel were looking at him, they realised. Russel nodded slightly, pointing to Ace's outstretched hand, and Noodle winked.  
The idiots had planned it.  
2D's face heated up, but he eventually gave in, sliding his hand into Ace's. His face lit up like a child's on Christmas day. It made something stir in his chest that he didn't particularly hate.  
Ace dragged him to his feet and onto the dance floor. It took 2D a minute or two to loosen up enough to move properly, taking on an almost beautiful kind of awkward. The lights bounced off his bright blue hair in the most fascinating way.  
Ace would never have expected to fall in love in some unknown club while on tour. No, he was to fall in love somewhere grand, where it was sunny and smelt like fresh grass instead of sweat and alcohol. It was the one dream he's let his grubby little greaser hands hold on to.  
Yet, there he was, suddenly captivated by the dancing Stu. His eyes were screwed shut as he lost himself in the music. He left Ace breathless, standing to the side and watching. Ace had never let himself think about 2D in such a way (at least, not since he joined the band), but it hit him like a punch in the gut. His smile shone brighter than the club's lights. The people around him continued to move, completely unaware of the phenomenon taking place in the same room. On the same dance floor.  
Fortunately, drunken Ace knew how to handle this situation; a quality sober Ace didn't possess.  
"Hey, Stu-Pot," he said with a grin, moving to dance a little too close to him.  
"Hi, Ace," 2D replied. He was getting quite used to the nickname.  
"Ya dancin's even cuter than ya poutin'," Ace told him.  
Stu felt his already flushed cheeks warm at the compliment. He was clearly drunk, he reasoned, because Ace was straight. He got all the girls, and always talked about-  
Wait, no he didn't. Ace had never once mentioned girls.  
That made it a little easier for Stu to lean in close and whisper over the music.  
"What else d'ya think's cute about me, Ace?" He asked, voice thick and sweet.  
Drunk Ace - 1. Sober Ace - 0.  
He pretended that didn't throw him off a little. Ace had expected Stu to deny it, like he did with any compliments, and go back to dancing. He wouldn't have minded that. It would mean that he could compliment him again after watching him dance some more.  
But this response was much better.  
Ace moved closer, and Stu's breath caught in his throat. The bassist was unbelievably close to him. Or was Stu close to Ace? He forgot. All he knew was that he could feel Ace's smile and his hand on his forearm. He bent down slightly.  
"That blush o' yours, for one," Ace replied, the smirk audible in his voice.  
Stu was glad his legs knew how to dance, or he would've fallen over.  
"Mhm?"  
"More?"  
"Oh, definitely."  
Ace couldn't contain his grin. Neither of them registered when his hands landed on Stu's hips. Ace didn't have to think very hard for more compliments.  
"An' your voice, when ya whisperin' to me like that."  
Noodle and Russel watched the whole thing. Noodle was only a few drunken dancers away, but she couldn't hear anything they were saying. Obviously, they were both very into it. She looked over to Russ, who was grinning and hiding behind his phone's camera. Perfect blackmail shots, they both thought, making eye contact and nodding. From the looks of things, Noodle was getting out of household chores for a week.  
And Russel was getting his boots shined.  
Neither Stuart nor Ace took notice. Instead, they moved closer, chest touching as the music washed over them. Ace noticed how warm Stu's hands were as the travelled down his arms. He'd have happily stayed like that forever; dancing so close he could feel the others breath in his neck.  
"An' it's cute how ya smilin' at me every time I look up," Ace concluded.  
Stu couldn't help but freeze slightly at that. The warmth of Ace's palms on his hips soon helped, as did the rush of blood to his head, but he stepped back anyway. Ace frowned slightly, but didn't want to look to bothered. That was, until Stu started threading his way towards the back exit.  
Noodle noticed, and lurched forward to stop Ace from chasing after him. She danced a safe distance away.  
"Give him a minute!" She yelled over the music.  
Ace nodded slightly. He was too intoxicated to worry deep enough, but he still wished he'd chased the singer. Had he said something to upset him, without realising it?  
Russel ended up following Stu out. He found him down the small alley attached the club. He was leant against the wall, sweating, and shakily lighting a cigarette.  
"Yo, D," Russel greeted, leaning against the wall next to him. Stu exhaled smoke before answering.  
"Hi."  
"You okay?"  
"Needed some air," Stu replied simply, shrugging as though he didn't sound slightly out of breath, "'s really 'ot in there, right?"  
"Not as hot as what you 'n Ace were gettin' up to, huh?" Russel countered, pulling a face to get a laugh out of Stu. It worked.  
"That man, Russ..."  
"Mhm?"  
"I freaked out! 'E was whisperin' all this sweet stuff an' I kept on encouragin' 'im because it all sounded so genuine and made me feel all warm an' now I've jus' gone an' left 'im in there!" Stu word-vomited with a pitiful sigh. He took two more drags of his cigarette and looked hopelessly at Russ.  
"Noodle's had to hold him back."  
"Really?"  
"Really! He wants to know if you're okay, D."  
"Okay."  
Russel nodded, striding back into the club. He gave Noodle a thumbs up from across the room.  
"Okay, Ace, you can go," she told him, shoving him towards the exit.  
Confused and slightly nauseous, Ace made his way out. The gust of air was well needed. It wasn't exactly fresh- nothing was fresh in central London at some time between midnight and 3 am- but it was cooling.  
He spotted 2D a second later. He looked as good as he had dancing; leaning against the brick wall, puffing on a cigarette, hair wild and eyes wilder. Ace approached as cautiously as his shaky legs would allow.  
"Stu-Pot, I'm really sorry if I-"  
He was cut off when his back hit the wall and Stu's lips collided with his. The surprise wore off, and Ace relaxed, closing his eyes. It was magical. Messy, sloppy, tasting like smoke and cider- but magical.  
Stu never wanted to stop kissing Ace. He had wanted to since meeting him. He'd never felt so...safe.  
Which was fantastic. Because, when Stuart imagined falling in love, it happened like that. Unexpectedly. Desperately. Beautiful. With a crash and a burn and a smirk. It happened somewhere so ordinary, like a club, or a street corner, or some soppy airport, but felt the opposite. He slid his hands into the hair at the bottom of Ace's neck, and revelled in the feeling of hands on his hips.  
Safe. And warm. And ridiculously loved.


End file.
